Business Media Ad Revenue Slips Nearly Two Percent

Year-to-date numbers show that overall revenue through May is down 1.85 percent and ad pages were down 3.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the American Business Media’s Business Information Network report.

“While the May numbers are not what we hoped they would be, the year-to-date numbers continue to suggest that magazine revenues remain steady,” ABM president and CEO Gordon T. Hughes II said.

The categories that realized the largest ad revenue declines during the month of May include Computing, Software and Telecommunications (-29.37 percent) and Pharmaceuticals (-28.72 percent). The largest ad revenue gainers were Architecture, Design and Lighting (26.82 percent) and Building, Engineering and Construction (6.9 percent).

“It’s important to remember there is strong growth in face-to-face events, and revenue from digital products and custom media continues to climb at impressive rates,” Hughes said.